Nine Suspects Arrested for Armed Robbery and Murder

The Niger State Police Command has arrested nine people over suspected armed robbery, murder, and selling stolen motorcycles in Suleja and parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The command’s spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, shared this information in a crime bulletin on Wednesday in Minna.

Mr Abiodun explained that the arrests came after a distress call was received at around 3:40 a.m. on June 10 from the Rafin-Chinaka area of Maje in Suleja Local Government Area.

He said police officers from the Maje Division responded to reports that someone had been robbed of a Jincheng motorcycle.

The suspects were seen trying to escape through the Zuba area. Officers chased them, leading to the capture of one suspect, Bitrus James.

Following this, investigations led to the arrest of eight more suspects believed to be part of the same group.

The arrested individuals are Aminu Ibrahim, 25, from Jabi, Abuja; Gali Abubakar; Ibrahim Idris, also called “Nepa”; Samaila Nasiru, 20, from Jabi, Abuja; Mohammed Sani, 41; Dorcas Thomas, 32, from Durumi; Rejoice Samaila, 28, from Durumi; and Musa Lawal, 30, from Sabon-Wuse.

Mr Abiodun mentioned that early investigations showed some of the suspects are part of a robbery network operating in Suleja and nearby areas.

He added that two suspects, Bitrus James and Aminu Ibrahim, allegedly admitted to being involved in the murder of a motorcyclist, Alhaji Monsa. This murder took place behind the Niger Motel in Suleja on May 31.

According to the police, the victim was stabbed and robbed of his motorcycle and a bag with personal items.

The police also claimed that Musa Lawal acted as a buyer of stolen motorcycles and helped transport them to buyers in Katsina, Kaduna, and other places through another suspect, Mohammed Sani.

Mr Abiodun further claimed that Mr Lawal tried to bribe a Divisional Police Officer to stop the investigation.

The command also accused Samaila Nasiru of letting a boutique in Jabi be used for storing guns and dangerous weapons. Rejoice Samaila allegedly hid one of the suspects in Durumi.

Dorcas Thomas was accused of giving her personal details to help one of the suspects open a bank account used for receiving money from illegal activities.

Police reported that they recovered several items, including two locally made revolver guns, an axe, a jackknife, one live cartridge, eight empty cartridges, a laptop, a bag belonging to the deceased victim, motorcycle parts, mobile phones, and ATM cards.

The suspects have been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna for further investigation and likely prosecution.